Communication systems are known to include a plurality of communication devices that communicate with each other via supporting infrastructure. Each communication device has an individual access code that distinguishes it from the other communication devices. Based on the individual access code, the supporting infrastructure can individually process the requests of the communication devices. In a typical wireless communication system, a communication device can request a plurality of services that include cellular telephony services (e.g., call-waiting, call-forwarding, three-way calling, etc.), land mobile communications services (i.e., one to many communications), and dispatched communications services (i.e., a dispatcher communicating with an individual communication device and/or group of communication devices).
In the typical wireless communication system, a communication device (or subscriber unit) is a cellular telephone, a mobile radio, a portable radio, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a personal computer equipped with a wireless modem, or any combination thereof. The supporting infrastructure includes a plurality of base stations, groups of which are coupled to a base station controller. In turn, groups of base station controllers are coupled to service processors, which are coupled to a public switched telephone network ("PSTN"). The service processors may be mobile switching centers, dispatch service processors, or mobile data gateways. When communication devices are located in communication areas that include a mobile switching center, a dispatch service processor, and a mobile data gateway, the devices have access to group communications services, private communications services, telephony services, dispatch services, and/or data transfer services.
The typical wireless communication system also includes at least one home location register ("HLR") and a plurality of visitor location registers ("VLR"). Typically, a service processor is coupled to one or more VLRs. The HLR contains communication device profiles for each communication device affiliated with the wireless communication system. The communication device profile includes information relating to a communication device's identity, system access privileges, subscribed services, communication device location, etc. Each of the VLRs contains communication device profiles, but only for the communication devices that the associated service processor services and only for the services it supports (i.e., the services supported by the associated service processor(s)).
When the profile of the communication device changes (i.e., the communication device has changed its location or has changed its subscribed to services), the communication device profile change needs to be communicated to the appropriate VLRs (i.e., the VLRs associated with the service processors that are servicing the communication device) and the HLR. To update the communication device profile in the typical wireless communication system, the communication device would need to register with each service processor that provides it a service. The registering was done on an individual basis and was done even if the same service processor services the new area that the communication device has relocated to. Thus, if the communication device has a dozen desired services, the communication device would need to register with a dozen service processors, even if the service processors were the same as the ones the communication device was registered with before the communication device profile change. The communication device was also required to attempt to register with a service processor in a communication area that did not offer the desired service. In response to the attempt to register, the communication device would receive a non-service grant message. Further, multiple services could be supported in one area, and sometimes the smallest denominator for necessary location is a ten cell region, a hundred cell region, or on a cell-by-cell region. As can be deduced, this type of registration in response to a profile change consumes bandwidth of the system, thereby reducing the overall efficiency of the system. The bandwidth consumption is even greater in large communication systems, where thousands of communication devices are regularly changing their profiles.
As an alternative method for providing updated communication device profiles to the VLRs, the communication device communicates the changes in its profile to the HLR. The HLR then individually informs each of the VLRs associated with service processors that are to provide services for the communication device, even if the service processors were already providing their service to the communication device before it relocated and even if the subscriber unit had no desire to use the service. The HLR identifies the VLRs based on the communication device's subscribed to services, which are established at the system administration level. As such, the communication device has no choice but to take the services known by the HLR and provide location update information therefor. In other words, the subscribed to services that the HLR has stored for the communication device are the services the communication device will receive, providing, of course, that the communication area supports such services. Thus, the user of the communication device has no flexibility as to the services it can and cannot access.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus that provides the operators of communication devices the flexibility to change the desired services it will access and reduce the bandwidth requirements for updating changes of the communication device profile to VLRs.